Questions & Answers with Pierre Ragues - Signatech Alpine n°36 - LMP2

1) After the Red Bull Ring event, what did you do to keep fit during the summer break?

“It is always important to maintain fitness levels during the summer break. Since the Red Bull Ring, I have been regularly taking part in karting in order to keep fitness but also to ensure that my race craft is still sharp. This will allow me to return to ELMS action at Hungaroring in good form.” 

2) We will discover two special tracks until the end of the season: Hungaroring, a Formula 1 circuit, and the Paul Ricard, a modern and safety reference in motorsports. Have you raced on these before and what can you say about these tracks?

“It is always good to visit circuits that we don't race at very often. I am familiar with both Hungaroring and Paul Ricard because they are two circuits we visited during the Le Mans Series campaign in 2010 with an LMP1 car. They are certainly two very different tracks, highlighting the extremes of this ELMS championship. I appreciate the Hungarian circuit because of its history but Paul Ricard, even if it lacks some of the charm, the infrastructure is impressive and we can really work in the best conditions possible both in the garage and on the track.” 

3) We have two races to the end of the 2013 ELMS season, how do you see the near future and what are expectations?

“In terms of the level of the competition, the first three races of this ELMS championship have really made the series stand out and become recognised on the world motorsport stage. The future really looks positive and augurs well for the championship as it attracts increasing interest from teams and drivers.” 

4) After three races with more cars, more drivers, more races, what do you think about the success of the new 2013 ELMS format?

“We can only congratulate the ACO for having managed to organise a European Championship and a World Championship in parallel with a high level of quality in both. More and more frequently in ELMS, we have been able to visit other paddocks alongside the WSR, which remains a major event in international motorsport. The only downside, like all the drivers, is the duration of the races because we always want more, but thanks to this the budgets remain reasonable which is good for the sport.”